


I am the man, Ryan

by HeavyMetalMothman



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: About the time the railroad is being built, Action/Adventure, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bandits & Outlaws, Bounty Hunters, Drinking, Gun Violence, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Rating May Change, Ryan's here to do some buisness with a big iron on his hip, a big iron on his hipppp, it's a bounty hunter au, maybe i'm barely decent at action, set during the mid 1800's, yeehaw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-13
Packaged: 2019-10-27 15:32:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17769446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeavyMetalMothman/pseuds/HeavyMetalMothman
Summary: Ryan's about to head north to when Tj tells him of a bounty worth 400$. Ryan sets out to fetch the bounty; but there he found the head on which the price was set was none other than his childhood friend.





	I am the man, Ryan

**Author's Note:**

> i just really wanted to post this because i'm in the mood for it yeehawwww

The saloon was not so busy that evening when the group of ranch hands walked in, followed by a quiet journalist in a leather duster. A few men were sitting here and there, a couple of men sitting at the bar, one slumped over in a drunken stupor. 

 

Tj recognized him right away. He’d heard rumors he was back in town, but until now he’d not laid eyes on him. Good god, he looked pathetic. Surely something bad happened, bad enough to make him crawl back inside a whisky bottle like that.

 

“Well if it ain't my favorite halfbreed—” The old inside joke barely tumbled out of his mouth before the barrel of a Smith & Wesson was pointed directly at his face. The bar around them fell silent as everybody watched to see the confrontation. 

 

“... Son of a bitch.” He paused to swallow, and then continued. “They didn’t pay up again, did they?” 

 

The gun was lowered, the intensity of the atmosphere around them thinned. Ryan re-holstered his gun with an annoyed shove. 

 

“‘Course they didn’t. I ain’t been paid for the last three jobs running.” He took another hard swallow from his whiskey glass and slammed it back on the counter with a harsh  _ clunk _ . “They oughta think twice ‘bout who they’re shankin’. Could beat the living shit out of them with my bare fists alone.”

 

“Sorry to hear that… Thought they’d be clamoring upon each other just to hire you. I say it a lot but you really are the best in the west.” Tj took a seat next to his drunk, sorrowful friend. “Ain’t my business, but perhaps you shouldn’t be drinking what’s left your money.”

 

“Perhaps the lily white bastards should put their money where their yellow teeth are.” Ryan hissed under his breath. He sat up with some effort and swiped his glass up. “Not much out here besides rail work, lord knows that don’t pay horseshit.” 

 

“What about… Being someone’s hired gun? That could pay well. Especially with them hoity-toity engineers setting up shop.”

 

“I ain’t gonna work for them bastards, and besides, you think they want someone lookin’ like me to follow them around all day? Hell no. I’ll watch the gallows tomorrow and then I’m heading north.”

 

“You don’t want one last bounty before hittin’ the road?”  Tj teased, tapping his fingers on the counter periodically. Ryan shrugged like he didn’t care, but Tj knew he had is attention. 

 

“Someone’s been sabotaging the railroad heading west toward Black Mesa. Stealing supplies, setting off dynamite. Couple’a supervisors got killed, it’s got the engineer’s feathers all ruffled. You know how they are, time is money. They got a bounty set on the offender’s head, $400, wanted alive.” He chuckled as Ryan coughed into his whiskey glass. 

 

Ryan nearly spat out his whiskey. “$400?? You gotta be yankin’ my chain, they want this bastard so bad they’re willing to shell out $400 to the first idiot that can wrangle the bastard? What’re they callin’ the offender these days?” 

 

“Well see, he leaves ‘em notes, stuck to posts with a spike or a blade, warning them not to keep building through the Black Mesa Valley. He calls himself ‘Dirty Mads.’” 

 

Ryan wrinkled his nose, mid sip. He set his glass down and shook his head side to side. “Now that’s just pure idiocy, you’re gonna be an outlaw and go by the name ‘Dirty Mads’? Christ.” 

 

“Bad outlaw name or nah, it’s a hell of a bounty.” 

 

“Sure is, be nice if I actually got paid this time.” 

 

Tj watched, he could see Ryan thinking about it. 

 

And he  _ was _ good, and he couldn’t resist the thrill of the chase, the tracking, the stalking. And he could fight, lord could he put up a fight… Nobody sensible crossed Ryan. A duel would cost them their life, Tj witnessed once what it was like to be on the business end of Ryan’s rifle. There was nothing, not even hesitation in his eyes. 

 

It wasn’t till the railroad company came to town that the trend of defaulting on bounties began. It cheapened the grueling work, making it much harder to catch a bastard on the run. With the sheriff paid out by the rich bastards, they didn’t wind up in prison either. There was nothing left to do but head north to a mining town or to a Ranch. 

 

Ryan finally nodded thoughtfully, Tj notices his eyes weren’t so glazed over, he knew he had him. “I’ll speak to the railroad contractor… in the morning when I am sober.” 

 

Tj patted him on the shoulder, glad to see his friend wasn’t giving up just yet. Ryan excused himself and slid off the bar stool, swaying for a moment. “If you’ll excuse me…”

 

“You need some help there, partner?” 

 

“Ain’t that what your mama said when the calvary came to town and she excused herself?” In most circumstances, any honor-defending man would’ve challenged him to a duel. But Tj just chuckled and waved him on his drunken way. 

 

“I reckon it was something like that. Good night.” 

 

\---

 

It was with an awful headache that Ryan woke up the next day. The sun was barely rising when he crawled out of bed. He buttoned his shirt and vest, groaning half the time at the pounding in his head. His thick black coat and boots followed. And finally his gun, strapped to his belt and his hat on his head. 

 

He set a few coins on the counter of the clerk along with the key and made his way out to the stable. 

 

His gelding stood camly among the others, one hoove lifted, tail swishing away flies. Ryan had bought him with his first bounty he’d ever collected. Something about his haunting blue eyes spoke to Ryan, he affectionately named him ‘Red Ghost’ for the the red and white splotching on his coat. 

 

It was with a heavy grunt that Ryan pulled himself up onto Red Ghost, the horse stood steady the whole time, shifting slightly as Ryan settled in the saddle. A horsefly promptly bit Ryan in the neck, he swatted at it in annoyance. “You been dealing with this all night, huh? Damn.” 

 

Slowly, he made his way to the town center. It should be starting soon, people were gathering near the gallows. The sun was starting to climb, the chill in the air starting retreat. By late afternoon any corpses on the gallows would be baking in the sun.

 

Two men were to be hanged, one of whom Ryan personally dragged into town, stumbling after him and his horse with his wrists tied firmly to Ryan’s saddle.  _ Oughta teach you not to steal a horse. _ Ryan chuckled to himself. 

 

Tj found him, amongst the crowd gathering. Not much else to do besides work, it was more interesting to watch a guilty man drop and stop than hammer spikes into tracking while the sun beat down.

 

Ryan stayed put on his horse, Tj reclined against the awning of shop’s porch. They watched quietly, too far back to hear the charges read, though they both knew damn well why. A horse thief and a murderer; same shit, different day. 

 

The small gasp of the crowd was expected as the stools were kicked out from under the men. They struggled at the mercy of the rope around their neck until they give into the asphyxiation. Ryan sniffed, rather unimpressed, though it was a sight he’d seen many times before. His gaze wandered across the crowd and he noticed a staggered group of men, disappearing into one of the newer buildings. 

 

“That them over yonder?” Ryan asked, nodding towards the well dressed men retreating for shade. 

“That’d be them, yep. I’d watch your footing in there, it’s a den snakes inside the government building. Ask for the railroad commissioner.” Tj rolled a cigarette in his hands lazily. He had nothing better to do than people watch. 

 

Ryan stared at the building waiting for the crowd to thin so he could go in unbothered. He wrinkled his nose at the thought of it. He’d have bought a better shirt or at least worn a different pair of jeans knowing he’d be going inside the snake den. 

 

“Right…” Ryan said, sitting up. “I’m going in.” 

 

“Good luck. I’ll see you someday again soon.” Tj waved once and watch as Ryan made his way to the commissioner’s building. 


End file.
